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Biographical Note:

Thomas Milton Gatch was born in Milford, Ohio in 1833. He earned his A.B. degree in
1855 and his A.M. in 1860, both from Ohio Wesleyan University. Gatch then entered
Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati. In 1856, he accepted a position at the University
of the Pacific at Santa Clara, California. Later, he moved to Salem where he served
simultaneously as President of Willamette University and mayor of the city of Salem.
In 1887, Gatch became President of the University of Washington where he remained
until 1895. From 1897 to 1907, Gatch served as the President of Oregon Agricultural
College. During this time, OAC saw major growth including the construction of several
new buildings and a sanitation system, the formation of new students groups, the admission
of the college's first international students, the development of new curricula, and
the creation of the first Branch Experiment Station. Following his retirement from
OAC, Gatch returned to Seattle where he died on April 23, 1913 at the age of 81.